In Loving Memory of the Past
by Miko Eldenstein
Summary: This is the story of Greece when he was younger and when he was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Not much of a summary, but do give it time. :) Oh, rated T for mild violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Again! Miko here! This is just a fan-based thought of mine about the earlier years of Greece and what happened. Enjoy my fellow Hetalians. :3**

**Oh, I don't own Hetalia in any way, shape, or form.**

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Chapter 1

A little boy sat on marble steps in front of a large columned building. His sandaled feet rested on the step below him and his hands settled behind him. Bright, olive-green eyes watched the sky in wonder and wisps of auburn colored hair blew gently into his face from the breeze.

After a few moments, sandals were heard scratching on the marble behind him. Swiveling his head, his face lit up at the sight of a woman standing there. Her smile was warm and her eyes were calm, and yet wisdom flowed through them as well. Hair the color of chocolate was pulled into a messy bun on her head and white robes covered her simple frame, the long ends of the fabric cascading to her feet.

Kneeling down beside the boy, she ruffled his hair lovingly and placed a kiss on his forehead. The boy gazed up at her, a soft smile on his lips. Raising his arms, he reached out as if he wished to be held. Instead, she hugged him with a slight laugh. "My son, you didn't have to wait for me."

The boy then grinned, "I have to wait, mother. You promised more training today." Eagerness was apparent in his voice. The woman nodded, her eyes flashing with grief momentarily. "Yes. That's right, I forgot." She patted his head and stood up, smoothing out her robes. "Come on then, Heracles."

She took his hand and led him away from the building. Heracles followed loyally, but he looked back curiously, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw a man in the shadows. A smirk rested on the man's lips, but the rest of his face was covered in a white mask, cold eyes gleaming from behind it. Brightly colored robes adorned him as well, and a funny looking hat rested on top of his attire. He gave a brief wave; his other hand resting on a hilt of a sword attached to his hip, and then vanished into the shadows. But a gruff voice sounded, loud and clear, "I'll be back soon, Helena. That is a warning." The hand surrounding Heracles's hand tightened and the boy looked up at his mother, startled. But he said not a word, having been taught not to ask questions when the time wasn't right.

To his surprise, she spoke to him in a hurried voice. "If you ever meet that man again Heracles, come get me, alright? You are too young to deal with the likes of the Ottoman Empire."

"But-"

"Trust me, my son." Her eyes were stern. Heracles then nodded and continued to follow his mother away from the building and the strange man.

Rocky hills overlooking the Mediterranean appeared shortly as their journey came to a close. Helena closed her eyes and then pulled her hand away from her son. "Have you figured out the answer to the question, Heracles?" she spoke firmly. He nodded slowly. "Yes. Energy is the simple power of all life. Without it, humans and animals would not survive. We must channel our energy in the smartest way, to help others and create peace." He puffed his chest out, proud of his answer.

"But what if we do have to fight, then what should the energy be used for?" He looked up at his mother, chewing his lip. He had no words for this question.

The palm of Helena's glowed a bluish tint and a ball of light formed. "Watch, my son." Flexing her arm, the light floated above her head and then erupted into a blinding flash. Shielding his eyes, he watched as the grass browned and wilted. "Energy spent must be replaced." She noted and pressed her other hand on the ground. A few moments later, the grass returned to the green color it had sprouted in the beginning of its life.

"See? Or else the life would die."

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**And this concludes chapter 1. I know I haven't worked on my other stories much lately, but I am eager to finish this one. If you want more of the story, please let me know! It will be much appreciated! ^_^ **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sun glittered on the water as it set behind the sea. Heracles wiped a small hand across his forehead, leaving a streak of dirt on his skin. "Mother," he said, almost out of breath, "can we take a break now?"

As much as she wanted to continue, she saw that her son was growing exhausted quickly. Smiling gently, she dipped her head. "Of course." She lowered a weapon that resembled a spear, but the end was sharp and silver in color. The wood of the weapon was strong, but appeared flexible as well. Heracles looked at it with admiration and dropped a simple knife to the ground. "When can I train with a halberd? This knife is useless."

Helena sighed softly. "You still have much to learn. Any weapon is of use to you."

"But some weapons are greater than others…" he mumbled, picking the knife.

"Indeed, but before you can wield a stronger one, you must learn to use all those below it."

Months passed and the day finally came. Alarm bells rang through the streets and Heracles huddled in the corner of his room, his eyes wide with terror. Civilian screams echoed in his ears and he covered them up tightly to block it out.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around him and pulled him up and his face tilted to where he saw his mother. His lip trembling, he asked no questions as she raced through the streets, hugging him tightly to her chest. Her voice loud, she spoke to him quickly. "You must listen to me. Hide; just do anything to stay away. Understood?"

The boy just nodded and then his eyes widened in surprise. Helena kissed her son's forehead, held him tightly for a moment, and then let him go. "I love you Greece." She smiled sadly at him, and then vanished, leaving him there amongst the ruins.

"Wait! Mother!" he desperately ran after her, knowing something was wrong. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as well. _Why would she call him Greece? Wasn't she?..._ His eyes widened yet again and he started to call again, continuing to run where his instinct told him.

A scream of anguish was heard ahead of him, but it didn't make him freeze. He just kept on, more focused on helping than anything. Skidding to a stop, Heracles found himself in the field where he had spent his childhood training. In the middle was his mother as he predicted, but a familiar man was standing in front of her. It was the same man who he had seen months prior.

At first, the man appeared to be helping Helena, but then he withdrew his arm, blood spraying the ground. It didn't register to Heracles what had happened until he saw his mother fall, the blood coming from her stomach. The boy raced forward, ramming himself into the man's back. Surprised, the strangely clothed man inched forward a bit, and turned around.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?" he said in a cold voice.

Anger had lit up his face and he started punching the man as much as he could to his robes, but the man just laughed. "You think you can take me? The Ottoman Empire?"

"H-Heracles…" Helena breathed out, hoping he would stop and approach her. At the sound of his name, he did stop his useless attack and ran for her as quickly as possible. "Mother!" He desperately clung to her.

"I told you to stay away…." Her skin had grown pale and the crimson blood looked wrong on her robes.

"I couldn't! I knew something was wrong!" Tears welled up in his eyes and he clenched them shut, ashamed for showing weakness.

"Do not hide from emotion, my son. Open your eyes."

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**And this concludes another chapter. I hope you enjoyed. But be prepared to get a bit teary next time. D: Poor Greece...**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Heracles opened his eyes as his mother requested and tears shone in them.

"Heracles, my child…" she coughed and blood trickled down her mouth. "I don't have much time…" she rasped. He opened his mouth to interrupt, but she put a shaky finger on his lips. "No. Let me finish what I have been meaning to do for a long time. You will live on as a strong nation, even stronger than me. But be wiser than I was. Keep your enemies close and do not stray from your path." She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled warmly. "I will always be with you to guide you to success." She sat up the best she could and retrieved the halberd from the ground. It shrank to the size of a small knife and she placed it in his open palm. "Keep this safe for me. It is the source of my energy. See how it is fading? Focus yours upon it, and it shall be yours."

Heracles looked at the weapon, which had a bright blue aura around it. Trembling, he hugged his mother again tightly, realizing that she was giving him her final goodbye. She hugged him back the best she could and then her body started to glow. Limb by limb she vanished into glowing blue dust that settled over the weapon in his hand. The weapon seemed to absorb the dust, and soon Helena had vanished from Heracles's embrace. Tears quickly flowed down his cheeks and he gripped the glowing knife tightly in his fist. "I promise I will do as you say mother, but first I will have my revenge!"

He lunged at the man with surprising speed, his eyes burning with hatred. But even at the efforts, the man just stepped to the side and scooped Heracles under his arm, smirking. "You'll have to be much stronger, older, and wiser before you can ever think about defeating me."

"Let me down!" Heracles struggled.

"Hm. I think you will make a fine addition to my empire." With a laugh, he started to walk off with the struggling boy under his arm. Heracles looked around him and was horrified. _What happened to my country?..._

Buildings were in ruins, dead bodies of the citizens littered the cobblestones and marble crumbled in the streets. Fire danced across the small bushes and olive trees, burning them in its path. The air thick with smoke, his eyes watered, but it didn't make much difference to the tears. "Let me down, now!" he yelled at the man.

"Quiet!" he growled and slapped him across the face. "There is nothing you can do now! I am your ruler now!"

Heracles didn't flinch and took the punishment, deciding it was best not to fight back. Falling limp, he watched his country fall to the hands of the enemy helplessly. If he had to be silent, that is what must be done.

"I will allow you to take a few items with you, but no weapons." Turkey knocked the knife out of his hands and Heracles watched it fall, his eyes widening. He then concentrated until the knife changed into a blue colored marble bird. The man set him down. "Hurry, or you will be punished."

Heracles glared at him and then picked up the bird and slipped it into his pocket. He then started to run toward the ruins of the house he had grown up in. Every time he passed a body, he knelt beside them and kissed their foreheads. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you…" He continued on and he soon reached the fallen marble.

Digging through the rubble, he found a beige colored jacket and hugged it closely. It was strange, but he could have sworn that it never once was small on him, even though he was growing.

There was so much more he wished to take, but the only other thing decided to bring was a white hat. He wasn't sure who gave it to him, but it was rather nice and soft. Comforting. He placed it atop his wavy hair and hurried back to Turkey. "I am finished." He said in an expressionless tone.

"Then so we go." He grabbed his arm and led him away roughly, tugging on his limb. All Heracles did left was look behind his shoulder one last time at his home and then was jerked back by his kidnapper, the one called Turkey. Things would be much different now.

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***Sniffles* D: I will write more soon. **

**Greece: Where are my cats?...**

**Me: Soon. o.o**


	4. Chapter 4

**I apologize for not updating this sooner, I have been very busy with school. BUt here it is! Enjoy! :3**

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Chapter 4

**Years Later:**

"Heracles!" A young teenage boy looked up from his studies at his name. He put down the writing tool and stood, knowing it was his queue to leave the small hut. Saying nothing, he exited the building and stared blankly at the sky.

"Heracles!" an older boy approached him. Unlike Heracles, the other boy wasn't Mediterranean and he was very clean-shaven around his head. His name was Gupta, but he was known as Egypt. Both boys were part of the same Empire now, and his African ways were much different than the Greeks or the Turks, but they were all Ottomans now. They had to cope, or their countries would fall to the worst and be nonexistent.

"What is it?"

"Mr. Turkey is gone to fight Miss Hungary again. We have the whole afternoon to ourselves!"

His eyes widened with excitement. "Really? Then what are we waiting for!" His face tilted to the sky and he breathed in the morning air. "Let's stay outside. I feel free underneath the clouds." He grins and Egypt nodded. "But first, let's get some sweets. I need sugar!" the two boys ran off.

Heracles followed his companion but something made him stop. "Wait." He knelt down and inspected a small tree that was growing from the rocky soil. Heracles grinned widely. "An olive tree!" Egypt watched curiously.

"I haven't seen one since-" he broke off, his smile fading and hatred glowed in his eyes. "Since that day…" he clenched his fists and stood. "Come on, let's go before the bastard decides to come back." He mumbled.

Egypt followed silently, eating a spoonful of honey.

**Later that day:**

"Greece! Egypt! Join me in the yard this instant!" Turkey's voice echoed in the area and the two boys appeared from the main house, their faces expressionless. The Turk was dressed in what he called his battle gear, but he looked disheveled. His brightly colored robes were torn and his hat was gone, showing his spiky hair. Also, surprisingly, his half-mask was cracked in the middle and the stubble on his chin was more prominent. "Listen. Hungary has grown a threat. Despite the fact that she is a part of the empire, she is trying to break away. I refuse this, and I order you both to help lower her interest in rebellion."

Both boys looked at each other in surprise, their eyebrows raised. "Hungary is revolting?" Heracles whispered, his eyes shining with a defiant glance. Egypt grinned at seeing the look in his eyes. "Mr. Turkey, I think we have a problem with your demands." Heracles grinned as well, a rebellious expression covering his features. "Yes. And since it would be stressful for you to have more than one country rebelling… we could be free at last!"

Turkey scowled. "Don't be so foolish! You can never escape this empire!"

"I believe not." Heracles took the smooth, marble bird out of his pocket and it glowed a harsh blue light. "You see… I have inhabited my mother's strength and wisdom… and I have been practicing for years!" the once harmless bird was now transformed into the glorious halberd that he had inherited from his mother. "The Ancient Times are over! Ancient Greece is over! It is time for my era!" He suddenly charged without warning, swinging the weapon in a wide arch over his head, bringing it down on the shocked nation.

After the blow, Turkey stumbled backwards, but just had time to unsheathe his sword. "You foolish Greek! You cannot leave, you have nothing to go to!"

"We will see. I have learned a lot." He swung the halberd again, clashing it against his sword and pressed hard, making him stumble back again. "I will have my revenge for all the pain and suffering you have caused! But first I will be independent!" He kept at his blows, determination shining in his eyes.

Egypt suddenly joined in, whacking Turkey with a wooden stick. "Go Greece! I will distract him!" The Greek gave him a grateful nod and then ran off, knowing that Egypt would probably cause the Turk damage. He ran quickly, and then he skidded to a stop in front of the baby olive tree. He frowned and then moved on, keeping his jacket and hat close, along with his halberd.

Soon, he reached the woods and he slowed down, breathing heavily. _I did it… I really did it!_ He laughed happily to himself and grinned at the sky. "I did it mother! I'm free!"

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**Well, he did it! :D what will happen next?! Stay tuned. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, everyone! So sorry I haven't uploaded anything recently. But here you go! Another chapter! :D yay! enjoy. x3**

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Chapter 5

An overwhelming bit of joy spread through Heracles and he grinned at the sky, not believing he just broke free of his prison. What to do now…. He trudged on through and past the Turkish lands into a denser woods and rockier soil.

Feeling fatigue hit him, he slowed until he came to a olive tree. Grinning and patting the bark, he sat up against it and closed his eyes, feeling much safer. He closed his eyes, and soon the dreams began.

_It was a hot day, the wind barely blowing and the sun burning brightly. A young girl kneeled by the river bank and drew some water in a bucket. She wiped sweat off of her brow and patted dirt off on the front of her dress skirts. She then picked up the bucket and carried it back to house where Turkey stood on the porch, his arms folded across his chest. "Very good, girl. Put it inside and prepare me some supper." The girl set her jaw, but bowed slightly. "I will do my best, Mr. Turkey." She forced a smile and then brought the bucket of water inside, placing it on the counter. "That dammed-" A shout was heard upstairs and a loud crash was heard as something shattered on the floor. She looked up and only frowned, figuring he was just punishing another one of his servants. With a small sigh, she waited for the fight to brew. _

_"Whitefang!" she turned and saw Egypt approaching her with a spoon of honey. "Want some?" She shook her head and smiled gently. "No thanks, Egypt." He put the spoon in his mouth in response. Looking up at the ceiling, she frowns. "Do you know what's going on up there?" He shrugged. "Greece and Turkey are probably fighting again. It happens a lot." _

_She rose her eyebrows. "Greece? I thought she was dead." Egypt stared at her and cocked his head to the side. "Greece is male."_

_"Greece was a boy?!" her eyes widened. Egypt looked confused. "Of course he is! Oh wait, didn't you know Ancient Greece had a son?" She shook her head, incredulous. Egypt nods. "She did. You ought to ask him about it." She looked thoughtful. "Yeah.."_

_Looking up again, her eyes looked curious. "I'm gonna go see…" Egypt shrugs. "Don't get hurt."_

_She rolls her eyes and sneaks up the stairs, holding her dress up so she wouldn't trip. Turkey had a strict policy about clothes covering up as much of the body as possible. She then turned the corner and looked across the hallway. Ducking just in time, a glass shattered on the wall behind her. "Greece! I do not want the letters written in Greek! Arabic, I told you!" a softer-spoken voice retorted back. "I like them my way! I can understand them better!" Curiously, she silently approached the room and peered inside. Her eyes first focused on Turkey with scorn and then her attention was pulled to the unfamiliar man across the desk, his posture showing he was agitated and his eyebrows were furrowed in anger. _

_She gaped at him in amazement. 'He looks a lot like her', she thought and watched them both with increased interest. _

_"Turkey, if you don't like the way I do things, then get someone else to do it! I'm tired of you always judging what I do." Greece scowled. Whitefang watched him now, her heart suddenly beating faster. 'He's brave too!' Turkey growls and smacks him across the face. "One more time and you're going to face sever punishment, you hear?" Greece rubbed his jaw and glowered, but nodded. _

_"Good." Turkey passed by her as he left and picked her up by the arm. "Girl, is the food ready?" She looked down. "N-no.." _

_"Then get to it!" he pushed her aside and went down the steps. She glanced to see Greece looking at her curiously, his olive-green eyes burning with an emotion that looked like a mix of astonishment and confusion. She flushed as she met his gaze and ducked her head, hurrying down the stairs._

Heracles's eyes flew open as the dream ended abruptly. "I've got to get her out of there…. Along with Egypt." He sat up and looked back where he came from. "Whitefang…."

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**Well, well. it looks like I have some explaining to do. o.o Heh. I added an OC because I thought it might make the story more interesting. XD By the way, there are more surprises along the way. Stay tuned for more and I thank everyone for their continued support! 3**


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